Washing apparatus.



J. M. SEYMOUR, 1n.

WASHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man p:c.9.191s.

Patented July 24, 1917.

IT IZIVENTOR 3 E51.

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WM V ATTORNEYS.

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wasnme arr ma'rn'se Application filed December 9,-1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, JAMES M. SEYMOUR, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark,'in the county of. Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the .following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates, generally, to improvements in washing machines, and the like; and, the invention has reference, more particularly, to a simple and novel construction of power driven washing machine provided with a novel means for supplying and circulating a cleansing fluid to the material operated upon by the machine.

The invention has for its principal object to provide an efl'ective and economical washing machine comprising a centrifugal wringer or extractor inclosed within a housing provided with a catch basin, and provi ed with a novel means for supplying, directly to the material ope'rated upon within the wringer or extractor, during its operation, a continuous flow of water, which may be served hot, cold or impregnated to provide a cleansing fluid for direct action upon'the material to be washed. I

A further object of the present invention ,7

pprtm m is to provide in connection with the washing machine means for circulating the cleansing'fluid from the catch basin of the 'apparatus to the delivery jets which discharge into the extractor or wringer; and

also to supply means for heating the cleansing fluid so circulated, when desired.

A still further object of this invention ,is

to provide in connection with the material operated upon 'within the extractor-or wrlnger, a filter-pad adapted to separate dirt or grease from the cleansing fluid sup plied to the wringer or extractor, before lowing detailed description of the same. i

contacts with the material oner- Specifleatlon team-ream;

ten. new AS5068 invention; .QQllfi lSjS, flliliiiQPEHOlB, inthei i-seve. eral novel arrangements and combinations of, the, various. devices and partsas well as 1n .-tli ldetails ,ofthe construct-ioncofmthe 1 .1 1 w ich. ill b mmr i 1 3 c f be in he i i sz sn iifi atio m then .pfinally. embodied; in ithfl, claimsz 'wliich areap space-t and which form an,,essential. part oi. said specification The inven i i .cI arlXilIu accompanying drawings, ingwh1ch;;;

F' ureil isa vertical longitudinal section of the. ovelx w t in. .machineamade.ac cording, .an b QYiQWt e'P my: pr sen e i11 enti-O v F g. 2. a ns udineliec on. of: the. scent-sinc tractor 011; 1 inger; porti of; th6; :=110.8l washing machine, illustratif the? application of the; novel filter-pad; team, terialiato be operatedon thereinpand Eig..b,;is:ai1detail longitudinal section; If a slightly-modified, construction .of .sa-idi centriiugal: ex-. tractoror wringen, illustrating as arranged therewith a permanent filter-means,; in :the form of a. metallic, gagepa-rtiti H Jon-screen- Similar characters of refere ce care} employed in all of the, .hereinaboverdescribed views, to i ndicatge corresponding. paIEtS;.=.. -L- I Referring now to the saidiirawingsj the reference character 1: indicate a. suitable pporting trainee. upon. nwhich'i: the

' molu ted rSaid basewonysupe l .is'provrdedwith a-- centrally ispose I 1 vertical "bearing porti-qfi 2:4; Li {l ke reierence c aracter 3.- indicatesa stepfbwrh' h. is Pre erably m unted-Aimee pit d pon which atheiiapstra ter qgiwringen an AMPQIBQPQMIOH QUsni-tably seemed as litewelmgaw an enema. WWW porn-WW9 (may. hemmed-.01; its stens desa t recedes flc rrpcrtiencrl siateblx .tl erem ates-cylindrical 1110 said side walls 12 may upwardly extending annular flange 14conheated with said bottom portion '9, or formed assistant-.12 said extreme or wringer through the. clothes or other material oper-.

The upper. marated upon within the same. ginal edges of .aid side walls thus constructed may be bound by amarginal flanged re-*' inforcing member 13, andthe lower end of be secured to an integrally therewith. The upper end of said said discharge nozzle is a supply same will sewer or other extractor 0r wringer drum is preferably left open.

Supported upon said base or supporting framel is an outer housing 15, the walls of which inclose said extractor or wringer drum, said walls being spaced away from the sides of said extractor or wringer drum,

so as to leave an annular space 16 surrounding the latter,

The lower end of saidhousing is caught.

.to provide an annular 15 is constructed catch-basin 17, formed by the bottom wall or wringer drum', as the same drops through space 16 provided by said said annular housing 15. The upper end of the walls of said housing 15 are preferabl curved inwardly, to provide an inward y projecting annular flange 19 adapted to prevent the cleansing fluid ejected from the extractor or wringer drum from splashing out of the said-housing. The upper end of the housing'l5 is open, as at 20, above'the. extractor or wringer drum.

The reference character 21 indicates a discharge nozzle having a plurality of radiating vents or discharge openings. This discharge nozzle is preferably positioned within the interior of said extractor or wringer drumso as to extend vertically in a central longitudinal or axial position therein. Connected with the upper end of ipe 22, for conducting water, or other e eansing fluid, to said discharge nozzle so that the be ejected from the latter upon the clothes or other material pIa-"ed within the extractor or wringer drum for cleansing. Connected with the bottom of said catch basin 17 is an outlet pipe 23, with which communicates a pipe 24 adapted to, discharge the water or cleansing fluid into a place after use." A valve 25 is provided in the pipe 24, which when closed shuts off said pipe 24 from communication with said outlet-pipe 23. The outer tary pump 26, and 'i n said outlet pipe into which the cleansingfluid thrown from theextractor or wringer drum '17, when it is desired so to to rotate the same at and ofiiid 'ollt-lete inlet of a. pumping .m chenism-, ;preferablyqin the form of a roa valve 27 is provided 23, adjacent to its entrance into said pump 26, to shut off the latter from communication with saidoutlet n pipe 23, when desired.

Gonnected'with'the discharge end 28 of said pump 26 is a return pipe 29 which leads back to said su 'ply pipe 22, so as to enable said pump to charge nozzle '21, when desired. Said re 'turn 'pipe 29 -is provided with a valve 30,

which, when closed cation with sai, charge nozzle 2 pum vid yond the juncture of with said supply adapted to shut o from communication with fluid flowing through said supply pipe '22;

Arranged within said upon the bottom thereof; is a "coil of steam pipe 32, which' is supplied with steam from the steam supply pipe 33, for'heating the cleansing fluid collected in siid catch-basin o. The novel construction of washing machine is operated in the following manner. The clothes 34 or 'other articles to be cleansed, are placed within the extractor or wringer drum, and power is applied thereto a high speed. The centrifugal force developed by thus rotating said extractor or wringer drum tends to throw the clothes 34 against the side walls of the extractor or wringer drum, and to hold the same in such relation'to the latter. The valve 31 in the supply pipe 22 is opened so that a cleansing fluid maybe admitted to the-discharge nozzle 21 within the interior of said extractor or wrin er drum. The cleansing fluid is ejected %rom said discharge, nozzle 21 in radiating streams against the annular ring of clothes 34 held against the sides of'the extractor or wringer drum by' the centrifugal force developed thereby, and said centrifugal force causes shuts off from communisupply pipe .22.and dissaid return pipe 29 and 26. Said supply pipe 22 is also prosaid return pipe 29 fpipe 22, and which is said discharge nozzle scharge fluidinto said dis-- with a valve 31, which is located be-- catch basin 17,-

the cleansing fluid, upon contact with the cipitated into the catch-basin 1 end"thereof,thence the used fluid may be ipes' 23 and 24, the

drained oil through the valve25 bein open. en it is desired to I circulate the c eansing fluid for the purpose or removal of said of reusing the same in a continuation of the w o rations, the same may be accompl' as follows: After a supply of cleansin%ifluid is delivered to the aplparatus, and a su cient quantity thereof co acted in the catch-basin 17, the valve 31 in the supply ipe 22 is closed and the valve 25 m i the isch arge pipe 24 is closed. Then the valve 27 in the outlet pipe 23 is opened to permit the latter to communicate with the pump 26, and the valve 30in the return pipe 29 is opened to permit the pump 26 to communicate with the discharge nozzle 21 throu h that ortion of the supply pipe 22 beneat the va vs 31. The pump 26 then bein put in operation draws from the collec cleansing fluid in the catch-basin 17 and discharges or pumps the same back to the discharge nozzle 21, whereupon the clea fluid is ejected therefrom upon the clo es 34 in the extractor or wringer drum. This operation may be continued as long as desire until thecleasin fluid has taken up the dirt and soil from t e clothes. Since it is advisable heat the cleansing fluid to procure its most efficacious effects, such heat may be su plied thereto throu h the steam heating co 32 located within t e catch-basin 17. a

It is well known that most of the dirt and soil in and upon clothes and other materials to be washed is of a soluble character, but ,there is, nevertheless, a certain greasy content as well as solid content which would be returned in contact with the clothes by the, circulation of the cleansing fluid ca the same, unless it was separated from fie cleansing fluid before the latter was allowed to again pass through the clothes. In order to effect such separation easy content and solids from the cleansing uid I provide a filtering element adapted to be introduced between the clothes 34 and the discharge nozzle 21. Preferably this filtering element is constructed in the form of a flexible blanket 35, such as a cheesecloth pad or felt pad, adapted to be laid upon the clothes 34 as annularly disposed within the extractor or wringer drum, as shown more particularly in the detail view comprised in Fig. 2 of the drawings The centrifugal force developed by the rapidly revolved extractor or wringer drum W111 act upon said filtering element or flexible blanket 35 to hold the same in pro er covering and protectin contact with c othes, without necessity o employing'any particular mechanical fastening means. It will be understood that the texture of said flexible blanket 35 is such that while it will readily permit the cleansing fluid to pass therethrou h, and into roper cleansin contact with e clothes 34, it will neverth ess impede or hold back upon its exposed surfaceany greasy or sohd substance, and will thus separate the latter from the cleansing fluid, for "the purposes I above mentioned.

In some instances it may be advisable to provide a filtering element of slightly modied form and .one having a fixed relation to the extractor or wringer drum. To this end I provide a metallic gauze filter wall tractor or wring-er. drum, the fluid remainmg m the clothes may be flung off, until the clothes assume the condition of partial dryness which usually follows the p of wringing the same. The drying operation may then be completed, without necessity of removing or handl' the clothes by dischargin throu h the dischar nozzle, or an indepen ent de 'very pipe 3 superheated steam, air or other as, which passing through the material ries out the fibrous texture thereof. It will thus be apparent that the entire washin and-drying operations upon the materia may be carried on, by the use of my novel a paratus, without necessit of handling an re-handling said materia, thus effecting a great saving of time and labor, and therefore greatly cheap ening the cost of the cleansing process.

It will also be understood, that although a I am aware that some changes may be made in the arra ments and combinations of the various dances and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of my present invention as defined in the followin claims. Hence, I do not limit m' invention to the exact arrangements an combinations of the parts as described in the for oing specification, nor do I limit myself I to t e exact details of the construction of said dparts as illustrated in the accompanyi rawings.

1. In an apparatus of the kind described, a rotary extractor drum, means for supporting the same, means same, a housing surrounding said drumto for rotating the catch the fluid ejected therefrom a centrall disposed vertical perforated discharge nozz e within said drum for delivering fluid horizontally upon the material deposited annularly against the walls of said drum for treatment, and an annular filter member overlying said material, said filter member comprising a flexible blanket of fibrous material held in position by'centrifu :11 force.

2. 'In an apparatus of the kind escribed, a rotary extractor drum, means for support ing and dr1 vi the same, a housing surrounding sald rum and spaced annularly therefrom, a catch-basin connected with the lower end of said housing so as to extend beneath said drum, a centrally disposed vertical perforated discharge nozzle extending overlying the materia deposited within said drum for treatment, said filter member com prising a flexible blanket of fibrous material.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of December, 1916.

JAMES M. SEYMOUR, JR.

Witnesses:

Fnnnx C. Fmn'mm' Fnnnx H. W. FRAENTZEL. 

